Kendell Williams Records Second-Best Collegiate Score Ever

Kendell Williams(Photo by John Kelley)
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Georgia sophomore Kendell Williams scored the second-highest pentathlon total in collegiate history to win at the McCravy Memorial in Lexington, Ky., on Friday afternoon.
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The collegiate record holder in the event after winning the 2014 NCAA Indoor Championships (Albuquerque, N.M.) with 4,635 as a true freshman, Williams scored 4,609 points to move to No. 2 in collegiate history, take over the top non-altitude collegiate score, claim both the McCravy Memorial and Nutter Field House records and record her second mark on the all-time U.S. top-10 list.
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Senior Quintunya Chapman earned runner-up honors by scoring a personal-best 4,257 points, which ranks fourth in school history, thanks in part to a string of three consecutive personal records. In addition, freshman Aliyah Johnson finished eighth in the competition with 3,515 points during her first collegiate heptathlon.
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Williams jumpstarted her day by clocking a season-best time of 8.23 (1,077 points) to win the 60-meter hurdles. This was just .02 off her time at the 2014 NCAA meet.
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The Marietta, Ga., native registered a first-attempt high jump clearance of 6 feet, ¾ inches to win and gain another 1,041 points in the second event. Williams’ only indoor mark that surpassed Friday’s performance of 6-2 also came at last year’s Nationals.
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Williams’ first personal record of the day came on the second 40-foot shot put performance of her career. She worked up to a third throw of 41-10.75 for a 712-point boost heading into the fourth event.
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The Kell High School answered her shot put performance by opening with another personal best in the long jump (20-10). One jump later, Williams established an even fresher No. 1 mark by traveling 21-2.50 (No. 4 on school’s all-time list) and then passed on her final attempt. She saw her total surge by 994 thanks to her jump.
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With her own collegiate record in jeopardy, Williams completed her five events with a fourth-place finish in the 800 to score 785 points. Her time of 2:22.89 drew her within 26 points of her collegiate record and delivered her a 352-point win over Chapman.
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During her run to second-place honors, Chapman matched her 60 hurdles performance at last year’s nationals and came within .01 from hitting her personal best to take second in the event (1,019 points). She ran an 8.49 after opening the year last week with an 8.48 at the Auburn Invitational.
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Recording three first-attempt clearances to start the high jump, Chapman got up and over the bar at a career-best height of 5-4.50 on her second try. This effort earned the Hinesville, Ga., native 783 points and placed her eighth in the event.
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Chapman followed up a pair of 41-foot shot put tosses with the longest launch of her career to score 777 points next. The former sprinter pushed her final attempt 45-1 to top Williams’ second-place throw by more than three feet.
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At Auburn, Chapman tried to keep up with Georgia freshman Keturah Orji (20-10.75) and went a career-long distance of 19-7.50. In Lexington, Chapman followed behind Williams and traveled 19-9 on her first long jump. This gave Chapman 856 more points.
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Chapman paced Williams in the day’s final pentathlon event and finished with the second-fastest time of her career. She ran a 2:20.10 in the 800 for 822 points, which left the third-place finisher, Oregon’s Ashlee Moore, 407 behind Chapman in the final standings.
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The newest Lady Bulldog, Aliyah Johnson, staved off an earlier elimination in the high jump with a third-attempt clearance at 5-4.50 before reaching 5-5.75 (818) on her second jump at the height. Johnson opened in the shot put with a mark of 36-5.75, which increased her point total by 603.
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In the long jump, Johnson bounced back from a foul on her second jump and was fourth in the event with a mark of 18-5.25 (735). The January enrollee was also seventh in the hurdles after running an 8.99 for 912 points. Johnson concluded her meet by completing her laps in 2:51.62 for her final 447 points.
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Complete recap and results to follow the end of competition on Friday night.
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Pentathlon Results
60mH High Jump Shot Put Long Jump 800m TOTAL
Kendell Williams *8.23 (1077) *6-0.75 (1041) ^41-10.75 (712) ^21-2.50 (994) *2:22.89 (785) %4609
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Quintunya Chapman 8.49 (1019) ^5-4.50 (783) ^45-1 (777) ^19-9 (856) *2:20.10 (822) 4257
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Aliyah Johnson 8.99 (912) ^5-5.75 (818) ^36-5.75 (603) 18-5.25 (735) *2:51.62 (447) 3515
%No. 2 on all-time collegiate list; No. 1 non-altitude collegiate list